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7 NOV: THE END OF TRIUMPH FOR TRUMP?

Written by Chu Yao Quan

What happened?

Twitter has deleted more than 10,000 accounts that posted misleading tweets. These accounts were “disguised” as run by Democrats and posted tweets that discouraged people from voting in the coming elections. One of the tweets discouraged Democratic men from voting as it would drown out the voice of women.

America will be conducting its midterm elections on 6 Nov. During this election, voters will elect a new House of Representatives and 35 of the 100-seat Senate. All eyes will be on whether US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party trumps his opponents at the elections. Going into the elections, the Republicans hold a 235-to-193 advantage in the House and a 51-to-49 edge in the Senate.

What can one expect from the elections?

Analysts project that the Democrats are likely to control the majority of the House seats, but may struggle in controlling the majority of the Senate seats. Controlling the House would hinder Trump from passing major legislation, and renew investigations that include Trump’s alleged collusion with Russians in the 2016 elections and into his tax filings.

To control the majority of the Senate seats, the Democrats will need to retain almost all of their contested seats, as well as seize control over two or more Republican-held seats. If that happens, the Democrats control the passing of all legislation for the next two years, but Trump could still veto any legislation before it is passed.

Countries around the world are watching the US midterm elections intently, because it could spell changes to international agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). A Democrat-led Congress can also challenge Trump’s ability to unilaterally apply tariffs in the name of national security – they could even impeach Trump. Indeed, Trump may be met with “fire and fury the world has never seen before”. The election results could be released on 7 Nov, and we’ve marked our calendars already. Have you?